Chevrolet Impala

The 1963 Chevrolet Biscayne, Bel Air, and Impala enjoyed a boxy face-lift, with bodyside contours cleverly altered to look like major changes had taken place. "Clean-cut as a jewel," the sales brochure claimed, "smooth-riding as a jet." Ads touted such mundane features as "air-washed rocker panels," self-adjusting brakes, and a longer-life exhaust system.

The standard Turbo-Fire 283-cubic-inch V-8 got a boost to 195 horsepower, the mid-range 327-cubic-inch engine yielded 250 to 340 horsepower, and the big-block 409 cranked out 340, 400, or 425 horses. The latter used twin four-barrel carburetors and 11:1 compression.

The Impala SS convertible was the most expensive full-size Chevrolet in 1963.

Quite a few buyers skipped the V-8, making do with the 140-horse Turbo-Thrift six. On the opposite end of the performance spectrum, a few lucky drag racers were able to obtain one of a handful of cars that were fitted with lightweight aluminum front body panels and held a 427-cubic-inch enlargement of the 409 engine.

Impalas again sold best, with 832,600 built (including 153,271 Super Sports). Sport Sedans had their own hardtop roofline, and Sport Coupes could now get a vinyl top. Most costly model was the aggressive-looking SS Impala convertible. Available with any engine, an SS package added $161 to the ragtop's $3,024 base price and included heavy-duty springs, aluminum-trimmed bucket seats, and swirl dashboard inserts. All SS Impalas had floor shifters, and a new console included a locking compartment.